Samsung Galaxy A5 Smartphone Review
Using the Galaxy A5
Contents
In use, the Galaxy A5 is excellent. The quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor running at 1.2 GHz and the 2 GiB of RAM give the phone a lot of agility. The screen is big and bright, with crisp and clear images and colors.
But the highlight of this smartphone is actually its design and dimensions. It measues 5.48 x 2.74 inches (139.3 x 69.7 mm), and is only 0.26 inches (6.7 mm) thick. Just for comparison, the ASUS ZenFone 5, which has the same screen size, measues 5.8 x 2.9 inches (148 x 73 mm) and is 0.4 inches (10.3 mm) thick.
The Galaxy A5 is also light, weighing 4.34 oz (123 g), and its full glass front, aluminum body and square borders are at the same time elegant and great to hold.
The screen resolution is good for the size of the screen, although a Full HD (1920 x 1080) screen could offer a better experience. Of course, such a screen would position the Galaxy A5 as a high-end device, making it more expensive.
The Galaxy A5 comes with the Android 4.4 operating system, which is easy to use and intuitive. Figure 10 shows the initial screen when you turn on the phone for the first time.
Figure 10: main screen
Pressing the icon with sixteen dots, you enter the list of applications, shown in Figures 11, 12, and 13. The Galaxy A5 comes with several preinstalled apps and games.
Figure 11: list of applications
Figure 12: list of applications
Figure 13: list of applications
You can install new applications using the Google Play Store, which has thousands of applications and games available.
The smartphone uses a 2,300 mAh lithium battery. According to the manufacturer, it can last up to eight hours with 3G intenet usage, 12 hours of video playback, and up to 15 hours of talk time in a GSM network.
The cameras of the Galaxy A5 are another highlight: the 13 Mpixel main camera is excellent for a mid-range smartphone. You can check the quality of unedited photos taken with the device by clicking here and here. It can also record videos at Full HD.
The front camera (for video chats and “selfies”) has 5 Mpixel resolution, which is excellent. It also support animated GIFs, wide selfies, and gesture control (you just show your palm to the camera for it to automatically take a picture after two seconds).